Well, it's time for amateur hour. I humbly submit three pieces by Granados. Two are not too difficult. One is. If the third one is no good, I'll just forget about it, as I have ice packs and heating pads on my wrists now and can't re-record it. Comments appreciated!

Well, it's time for amateur hour. I humbly submit three pieces by Granados. Two are not too difficult. One is. If the third one is no good, I'll just forget about it, as I have ice packs and heating pads on my wrists now and can't re-record it. Comments appreciated!

Nothing as good as nice warm ice on your wrists after playing Can't listen to these right now but will do so tonight. I hope the Rondalla is good then I don't have to record the damn thing and can move on with the Spanish Dances These small pieces are lovely. I planned on recording them too one day but you beat me to it.

You play these pieces as though you love them---very good interpretation. You succeed in expressing the intimacy of the works. You have made these pieces sound very personal to you. I liked them.

Nothing to "niggle" about but there is some unevenness in the soft "slow trill" type pattern in the beginning. I noticed it because I have a problem with trying to avoid those spastic problems. Do you understand what I'm talking about? I would also like to see more dynamic contrast at the end of the third piece. To me it would be nice if it were more passionate. Perhaps more crescendo and acceleration toward the end would produce that effect. However, I have no idea what the dynamics are supposed to be.

I hope I'm not being too critical because I want to encourage pianists. The truth is the only work of Granados I have ever played is the Spanish Dance, Op.5, No.5 (Playera). So I'm hardly an expert on his music.

Keep up the good work. I love your Granados.

(Have you noticed how often the word "niggle" is used in our discussions?)

Lovingly played, these two little pieces from the Escenas Poeticas. Are you going to do the Berceuse as well (that one gets rather tricky in the middle) ? I have no niggles about the Eva y Walter, except a missing g in bar 15. And in bar 23m the LH A should be tied, not struck twice (you do it correctly later on).
The Danse of the Rose is a bit too slow IMO. It should have just a bit more thrust so you can actually pull off the ritenuti without slowing to a halt. In the first A Tempo bar after the middle section the RH plays a strange note. And lastly, in the Lento coda, the top G should be really forte, like a tolling bell (this is pure Goyescas, a direct quote from El Amor y la Muerte, or perhaps that piece quotes from here).

Amd a marvellous job on that Rondalla ! Great how you manage the simultaneous crescendo and accellerando, and do not waver at that difficult climax. Having heard your earlier version, inbcluding expletives, all the more impressive ! It also makes me realize I have always misplaced the LH notes in the cross-hand section, not observing they are syncopated. Only thing to niggle about are your 16ths in the Copla section, which sound more like appoggiaturas. But certainly this sets a good example for me - I should really start to work on this one now. Or perhaps give up and leave the Spanish Dances to you

John – I don’t know what ‘slow trill’ type pattern you refer to. As far as dynamics go, I tried hard to get up to fortissimo (there’s even a fff ). When I’m sitting at the piano, it sounds very loud to me. I am not the strongest of players, though, and it could be that I’m just used to playing at certain dynamics levels and this was my fortissimo. I don’t know…I can try to play louder next time. What about increasing the volume of the editing programs? I have not done this, (and don’t know if I can do it without deleting something) but I know many of us have these editing programs and there are controls for that right on the screen. I think this topic was discussed a long time ago, but I would like to hear what others say, again.
And no, you are not being too critical. That’s why we do this. It helps a great deal. Also, I never knew of the word “niggle” until joining this group.

Chris – The Eva y Walter; I don’t know where that G went. Bar 23 – in my edition (Dover) the A is not tied this first time but is the second time.
Danza de la Rosa – I think I play this piece at a different tempo depending on the story that’s in my head at the time. For this recording, the story is about a man and a woman, outside on a terrace late at night spending their last minutes together. They are in love and gently sway back and forth as they dance the last dance, holding each other tightly, gazing into each others eyes. A tear trickles out the woman’s eye; the man wipes it away with his fingertip and then lowers his mouth onto hers for their last kiss. (She must return to her country and may never be able to return.) A nearby church bell tolls at the stroke of midnight, and the woman reluctantly pulls away, places the ribbon she wore in her hair into the man’s hand, and then walks off into the night. The man watches her disappear in the shadows, trails the ribbon over his lips and notices the woman’s fragrance that still lingers on it. He smiles sadly, and hopes that fate will step in and bring his lover back to him.

So anyway, not sure what strange note you mentioned. The Lento section – Yes, the bell tolls forte and with an accent- the first time. I think of it as more of an echo the second time. And in my score, the first measure is f but then right away a p with a diminuendo, so that’s why I did what I did. Perhaps I can play the first one louder if I record this again, and perhaps I can play it a bit faster. Well…for now, I’ll stick to this one. If I re-do it, I’ll try these changes.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

Monica, the "slow trill-type" passage I was referring to is at the 14" mark or so. It's very minor. The only reason I noticed it is because I've been having some problems with uneven or spastic-type notes. So I have been listening very carefully to my own playing to identify where they occur. I believe the notes you played at around 14 seconds were D-C#-D-A-C# or some pattern like that. Anyway, it was very minor. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it.

Again, the Granados was very lovely. As I said, you inspired me to buy a book of Granados' music.

Monica, the "slow trill-type" passage I was referring to is at the 14" mark or so. It's very minor. The only reason I noticed it is because I've been having some problems with uneven or spastic-type notes.

Oh, yes. I see what you mean. I've always had a hard time with this kind of thing. If I play lighter all the notes don't come out. It takes so much control, and I do need to work of these.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

Oh, those 16th notes. That's how my score is too, but I feel these little notes are like a guitar - the guitarist's pick goes back and forth on a string, just like appoggiaturas. Like little added ornaments carrying over the measure. Not sure I'm explaining this well.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

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